Olive oil recovery

Continuous or batch, 2-phase or 3-phase systems, complete process lines or single equipment, GEA supports all production methods for the extraction of olive oil.

Since the 1930s, GEA has supported industrial production of olive oil. Our innovative developments such as special scroll designs for decanters or the monitoring of specific process parameters did not only raise the bar in terms of yield. Our environmentally friendly 2-phase system has shaped the entire industry reducing freshwater consumption by up to 95 percent compared to the conventional 3-phase system.

With our Center of Excellence in Úbeda, GEA offers all the equipment required for the extraction of olive oil: from full turnkey solutions for entire plants developed on a greenfield site to individual lines to single machines. Every process line needs to meet different requirements depending on national traditions and sizes of the harvest. Whether batch or continuous, 3-phase or 2-phase systems, GEA has the expertise to engineer and set-up tailored solutions to support all production methods.

Olive oil expertise from GEA is not limited to the actual production process only, though. Our experts have also developed several solutions to treat the side streams making for higher value from the processed olives as well as water savings.

Olive oil recovery in a continuous 2-phase system. This process method is primarily used in countries like Spain, Portugal but also USA and Australia.

Key process steps for olive oil production

Before milling the olives have to be weighed, washed and cleaned from stems, leaves and other impurities. GEA can supply all of these components making sure that the olives are weighed fast and accurately and cleaned and washed thoroughly to obtain premium olive oils.

The olives are crushed in hammer mills. In continuous processes, the mills are often installed directly underneath the silos, the olive pulp is then transported to the malaxers by pumps. For a batch process, the mills can be attached directly to the malaxers.

In malaxers the pulp is stirred for a specific period of time at a certain temperature. This increases the proportion of free oil and forms bigger oil droplets and thus directly affects the yield. So it is important to use malaxers that let you control temperature and duration of stirring very precisely. GEA offers different kinds of malaxers, for continuous or batch processes, with horizontal or vertical agitation.

Decanter centrifuges are the heart of every modern olive oil installation. Depending on the required capacity, models for processing between 20 and 650 tons of olives per day are available, both in 2-phase and 3-phase design. GEA also offers so-called Combi-Decanters that can cover both, the 2-phase as well as the 3-phase process. This is basically two machines in one.

Polishing separators from GEA ensure the required premium quality by removing all residue while handling the product with extreme care. Gentle product treatment in combination with an optimum timing to discharge the solids minimize product loss.

GEA also supplies supplementary accessories, from vibrating strainers, centrifuge platforms, pumps and conveyors through to buffer and pure oil tanks for the appropriate collection and storage of olive oil.

Center of Excellence for olive oil

GEA's Center of Excellence for olive oil is located in the town of Úbeda in the Andalusian province of Jaén. Our olive oil experts sit in the heart of one of the most significant areas in olive oil production. Alongside development, planning, implementation, service, and maintenance of olive oil production facilities, the center supports its customers with advice and training. There is also an excellently equipped repair center where any machine associated with olive oil extraction can be overhauled, serviced, and repaired.

Customer testimonials

Watch Hüseyin Köse, an olive oil producer from Turkey in 3^rd generation, about his successful collaboration with GEA and on how GEA decanters helped to make his batch process more efficient, his oil quality better and his customers happier.

Watch Cem Turan, general manager of Olven Tarım, an olive oil mill in Turkey, about what it takes to produce high quality olive oil in a sustainable way with little energy and water consumption and why GEA was exactly the right partner for him to start his olive oil business.